


bread and wine

by seokkwan



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Original Character(s), Single Parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-03-27
Packaged: 2018-09-20 19:07:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9507968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seokkwan/pseuds/seokkwan
Summary: Seungcheol nearly choked- the cute guy he met in the hallway was a pastor. He was his daughter’s church youth group's pastor. This was a new low for him.(aka single dad seungcheol falls for "cool youth pastor" joshua hong)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this isn't nearly as religious as the title & description make it seem. 
> 
> thank you lianne (soonhan on ao3) for editing this!! and also encouraging me and believing in me for the last month. there's no way i'd ever make progress on any of my wips if i didn't have you to discuss hcs & everything with

Seungcheol sat outside the door of his daughter’s church youth group, trying his best to eavesdrop on what was going on inside the room. He could hear a guitar, singing and lots of offbeat clapping- no tears or screaming yet. 

His family wasn’t religious growing up- him and his daughter didn’t even attend the church itself, but Hyojin was going on five and she’d be starting school in the beginning of September so he wanted her to have at least some experience with children her age before she started. Jeonghan had also convinced him he needed to get used to not having her around all hours of the day. He’d laughed when Jeonghan suggested that, telling him he’d now have the chance to pick up a new hobby or get some work done around the house. But there he was, sitting in a church basement with his ear pressed up against a wall, ready to jump up if he heard any sign of distress coming from the other room. He had planned on going to his gym, which was only just across the street, but he could hardly convince himself to let go off Hyojin’s hand let alone leave the building. 

The song ended and everyone clapped, and he pressed his ear closer to the wall to see if he could identify Hyojin’s clapping. Maybe Jeonghan was right, maybe she wasn’t the one who was going to have separation issues. It was the first time Seungcheol was supposed to leave his daughter under anyone else's care who wasn't his mother, her mother or Jeonghan and Soonyoung in the four years of her life. He had never even spent a full night away from her. He was exhausted, sure, but she was his entire world and he wouldn't change having her in his life for anything. 

He was waiting for another song to begin, but instead a man started to speak to the room. He was so focused on trying to hear what he was saying that he didn't realize the person exited the room. 

“Hi, can I help you?” 

Seungcheol jumped, knocking his knuckles over the bench as he tried to quickly pull them away from where they were cupped around his ears and pressed against the wall. “Um.” He attempted to pull himself together, standing up to face the man in front of him, but froze in his spot as he looked up at the man. He had brunette hair that fell neatly over his forehead and a slender frame that made him look delicate. He was wearing a white buttoned down tucked into black pants, which only emphasized how slim he was. His facial features were soft, and unfairly pretty. Seungcheol always struggled to keep himself composed in front of beautiful people- it took him a week to even make eye contact with Jeonghan without gigging when they met in high school. Something Jeonghan never failed to remind him of.

“Are you okay?” 

He noticed the guitar in his hand and realized it had been him singing to the children. Seungcheol felt defeated: a gorgeous man who played guitar and sang, it was all too overwhelming. 

“Are you a parent?” 

Seungcheol nodded quickly, finally noticing the look of concern across the man’s face. 

The man smiled at him and Seungcheol averted his eyes, his smile only made things worse.

“Is it your child's first time here?” He picked up on the hint of amusement in his tone. 

Seungcheol nodded again, the embarrassment of the entire situation finally hitting him. “I'm sorry.” He let out an awkward laugh, staring at the guitar in his hands, unable to look him in the eyes. “I was about to leave.” 

“Hey, it's okay, it happens all the time. You can come join us if that makes you feel better.” 

“Really?” Seungcheol felt a wave of relief hit him. It was the exact opposite of what he was supposed to be doing that night, but there was no way he’d be able to convince himself to leave without Hyojin. 

“Of course.” The man laughed, holding out his hand for him. “I'm Joshua by the way.” 

“Seungcheol.” He took his hand and shook it, unable to hide the smile spread across his face. 

“It's nice to meet you, Seungcheol. I was just about to grab something from the office, but you can go ahead and find some place to sit down.” 

Seungcheol thanked him. He tried to ignore the butterflies in his stomach Joshua’s smile caused as he entered the room. He found Hyojin seated front and center on the carpet, sitting politely with her legs crossed and hands in her lap. She was turned away from him, watching the other children laugh and talk. He felt his heart sink as he approached her, realizing she hadn't introduced herself to the other kids yet. He should have asked to stay for the first day, he couldn't stand the sight of her sitting alone. 

“Hey, sweetheart,” Seungcheol said gently, kneeling in front of her. “Do you mind if I sit with you?” 

Hyojin’s face lit up when she noticed him, only to be quickly followed by a pout. “Is it time to go?” 

“Not if you don't want to.” Hyojin climbed into his lap as he sat down. “Are you having fun so far?” 

Hyojin nodded, her expression brightening again. “We get snacks later!” 

Seungcheol smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. He was about to respond when he noticed Joshua enter the room again. He fixed his posture and turned his attention to him.

“Alright guys, settle down,” he announced to the room, taking a spot on a stool facing everyone and opening the book in his hands. “We're going to read the story of David and Goliath today.” 

Seungcheol nearly choked- the cute guy he met in the hallway was a pastor. He was his daughter’s church youth group's _pastor_. This was a new low for him. He tried not to let the revelation show on his face as Joshua smiled at him before starting the story.

\-- 

Seungcheol placed his briefcase on the ground and kicked off his shoes before closing his apartment door. He was removing his coat as Jeonghan walked towards him, smiling at him like he always did when he had something on Seungcheol. His stomach immediately sank at the sight. 

“So, Hyojin told me something very interesting today.” 

Seungcheol paused in the middle of removing his jacket. “What?” 

“Well,” Jeonghan tucked his hair behind his ear, he was clearly pleased, “she said she had a great time at the church on Sunday with you.” 

Seungcheol let out a long drawn out breath, turning to hang up his coat. He had been expecting this conversation. “Look, it was her first day, I had to make sure she was safe.” 

“Cheol, you researched play groups in the area for months.” 

“Daddy!” Seungcheol breathed a sigh of relief as he turned to smile at his daughter who was running down the hallway to greet him.

“Hi, Princess!” Seungcheol scooped her up in his arms as she ran towards him. “Did you have a fun day with your uncles?” 

Hyojin nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck. “There was lots of puppies at the park.” 

Seungcheol gasped, smiling widely at her. “Did you get to pet any of them?” 

“All of them!” Hyojin grinned in return. 

“Well I'm going to change right now, but you can tell me all about them when we eat.” Seungcheol passed her over to Jeonghan. “Why don’t you and Uncle Jeonghan go play tea party until then?” 

“This isn’t over.” Jeonghan mouthed to him before smiling at Hyojin and carrying her off to her bedroom. “Does the Princess want cakes or cookies with her tea?”

Seungcheol exhaled deeply and headed for his bedroom, smiling to himself when he heard her yell “both!”

\-- 

In Seungcheol’s defense, he really had planned on leaving this time. It had been over a month now- he knew Hyojin was in good hands and she even seemed to be getting along with the other kids. But Joshua had greeted them as soon as they walked through the door and Seungcheol couldn’t find it in himself to say no when he asked if he would be joining them again. And the smile he received in return made it all worthwhile. 

Hyojin’s pigtails bounced up and down as they both clapped along while Joshua sang and played guitar for the class. Every week Joshua played a new song for the class, usually whatever was currently charting, along with some of the kids’ old favourites. He changed the lyrics to most songs: every mention of alcohol became about drinking water, sexual innuendos were changed to praying and any mention of a man or woman was replaced with “Jesus”. 

Seungcheol covered his mouth, unable to hold back his laugh as Joshua sang about church instead of “the club”. They still hadn't had a real conversation, besides making brief comments about the snacks and quality of the coffee during snack break. Most of their interactions happened when Joshua sang. The way Joshua looked over at him and smiled every time Seungcheol laughed made him feel like each lyric change was their own little inside joke. 

Joshua wrapped up his song and announced that it was snack time. Seungcheol told himself today was the day he’d have a real conversation with him, one that didn't revolve entirely around Joshua wanting to switch coffee brands or the ingredients in the cookies. 

Hyojin got up from his lap, running over to the table to join the other kids as Seungcheol let himself be dragged along by her hand. She let go to grab for the cookies on the table. 

“Hyojin,” Seungcheol laughed, lightly batting her hands away from the plate. “Go get a plate first.” 

“Hey.” Seungcheol turned, facing Joshua as he held a travel mug out for him. “I actually had time to make coffee at home today before heading out the door.” 

“Oh!” Seungcheol took the travel mug from his hands, trying to ignore his blush from being caught off guard. “Thank you, you didn't have to.” 

“I wasn't going to make you suffer the terrible coffee alone.” Joshua smiled, taking a sip from his own mug. “I think that coffee machine is probably older than both of us.” 

“Oh my god.” Seungcheol sighed happily, closing his eyes briefly before taking another sip. “This is so good.” 

“You're welcome,” Joshua laughed. “Anything is better than the coffee here.” 

Seungcheol gave him a quick smile, wracking his brain for any type of conversation starter. He was about to ask him how he’d been enjoying the weather before he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket- it was work. He rolled his eyes, answering the call. “Sorry,” Seungcheol muttered, stepping out to take the call. 

The report he had just handed in was missing, the one he definitely remembered placing on his boss’s desk the night before, and they needed it immediately. Seungcheol hung up, knowing he would not be able to find a babysitter last minute, and he'd have to take her along with him to print it out again. Seungcheol shoved his phone in his pocket with a sigh, scanning the room for his daughter as he walked back in.

“Is everything alright?” Joshua walked over to join him, a hint of concern in his voice.

“Yeah, I just have to go back into work. We’ll have to leave early today.” 

Hyojin was across the room, laughing and playing a clapping game with a few of the other kids. He felt awful since there was still at least another half hour before they were supposed to leave, and he hoped she wouldn’t cause too much of a fuss. 

“Is Hyojin going too?” Joshua asked. 

“Yeah, everyone who usually babysits is busy tonight.” Seungcheol tried to get Hyojin’s attention from across the room.

“Well, how late would you be? I wouldn’t mind watching her until you’re back.” 

“Oh?” Seungcheol hesitated before turning to look at him. “I might be an hour or so, I don’t know about that.” 

“It’s okay, she can help me with clean up afterwards. We can exchange numbers if that makes you feel better too.” Joshua smiled warmly at him, pulling out his own phone. “I’m used to taking care of at least fifteen kids at a time, it won’t be any trouble.” 

Seungcheol thought about it. Hyojin did look like she was comfortable here and Joshua was good with the kids. He wasn’t even supposed to be here in the first place, and it would only be an hour. “Let me ask Hyojin.” Seungcheol said, nodding at him and heading towards his daughter. 

“Hey sweetie.” Seungcheol kneeled beside her. “I have to go back into work quickly, do you want to come with me or do you want to stay here until I’m done?” 

“I wanna stay!” Hyojin stared back at him, widening her eyes. “I don’t wanna go yet.” 

“Okay.” Seungcheol kissed the top of her head. “Joshua has my number, okay? If there are any problems you let him know and I’ll be back here as soon as possible.” 

“Okay!” Hyojin leaned up to kiss his cheek and then turned back to her new friends to continue their game. 

Seungcheol sighed, feeling a bit better knowing that at least she wasn’t scared. “I’ll see you in a bit, I love you!” Seungcheol ruffled her hair before walking back over to Joshua. “I won’t be more than an hour.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket, handing it to Joshua to get his number. “My work is about twenty minutes from here, but if there are any problems I can be back in less than fifteen.” 

“It’ll be okay, don’t rush.” Joshua exchanged phones with him, typing in his information. “I can keep you updated on what’s going on if you want.” 

“Thank you so much.” Seungcheol took his phone back, quickly shoving it back in his pocket. “I won’t be long.” 

Joshua nodded, giving him one last smile before he headed out the door.

\--

Seungcheol rushed down the basement steps- he’d only been gone for forty-five minutes, but nearly all the cars in the parking lot were gone by the time he arrived. He entered the room to find Joshua and Hyojin seated on the carpet playing with the guitar. They laughed as Joshua held down the chords on the guitar and Hyojin strummed. Seungcheol leaned against the door frame- the scene before him was so heartwarming, he could feel himself getting overwhelmed again. He tried to stay quiet and hoped he could stand there and watch for a bit before they noticed him. 

\--

“Can pastors date people?” Seungcheol bit his lip nervously, looking over at Soonyoung as he waited for his character in the game to respawn.

“Uh?” Soonyoung was barely paying attention to him, still too focused on the game. “I think so? Isn't it priests that can't get married?” 

Seungcheol nodded. “Do you have to be baptised to marry a pastor?” 

“Fuck!” Soonyoung muttered under his breath, swinging his arms around with the movement of the character. “I don't know, aren't all churches different?” 

Seungcheol jumped, he hadn't noticed he was back in the game, he scrambled for his controller. “I think so, I looked up Hyojin’s church beforehand and they seemed the most open-minded in the area.” 

Soonyoung muttered in response, his arm shaking more aggressively as he smashed the trigger. “Dude, where are you? I'm surrounded.” 

“Right, sorry!” Seungcheol looked over at his side of the screen, searching for him. “Do you think pastors have arranged marriages?” 

“No,” Jeonghan answered from the doorway. “What are you guys talking about?” 

“Nothing!” Seungcheol quickly stood up, handing his controller off to Jeonghan before passing him. “I'm going to get Hyojin ready for bed, finish the game for me!” 

Jeonghan would ask too many questions if he talked to him about it, and he hoped Soonyoung was only half listening to their conversation since he couldn't keep anything from Jeonghan. 

“So you're planning on proposing to a priest?” Jeonghan didn't even bother to look up from the screen he sank down on the couch beside Soonyoung.

Seungcheol groaned, heading towards Hyojin’s room. “It was hypothetical.” 

“Mhm.” Seungcheol didn't have to look back to know he was smiling. 

\-- 

Seungcheol took a sip of wine as he flipped through suggestions on Netflix, which were mainly filled with children programs. He placed the remote down as he felt his phone vibrate, pulling it from his pocket. 

**Joshua** : i know the circumstances of me getting your number weren’t exactly ideal, but would it be inappropriate for me to ask you out to dinner tomorrow night? 

Seungcheol choked, nearly slamming his wine glass down as he sat up and read the message over and over again. He wanted to kick himself for leaving read receipts on, because now he had to respond soon to avoid looking like an asshole.

 **Seungcheol** : i work late tomorrow, is 8pm okay? 

Seungcheol picked up his glass again, taking a long sip as he stared at his phone in anticipation. He could feel his heart pounding in his ears, his eyes widening when the three dots bubbled up as Joshua typed a response.

 **Joshua** : perfect!  
**Joshua** : i know a great italian place downtown, do you like italian?  
**Seungcheol** : love it!  
**Joshua** : i’ll send you the address tomorrow!  
**Seungcheol** : okay! :)

Seungcheol stared at his message, watching Joshua’s read receipt appear. Maybe the smiley face had been too much? Or maybe it was the exclamation point plus the smiley face? He finished off his wine glass, pouring himself another one before opening his messages and sending Jeonghan and Soonyoung a screenshot of their conversation to their group chat- he needed advice and babysitters for the evening. 

\--

“You’re not wearing that.” Jeonghan eyed Seungcheol up and down as he watched him adjust his tie from across the room. 

“Why not?” Seungcheol turned around to face him, Jeonghan was sprawled out on his bed, scrolling through his phone. “This is the nicest thing I own.” 

“Isn’t that what you wear to work everyday?” 

“Yeah, but…” Seungcheol trailed off as he stared at himself in the mirror. 

Jeonghan sighed as he threw his phone to his side and got up to stand in front of his closet with him. “Don’t wear a white dress shirt, you’re going to end up dropping pasta or spilling wine on yourself if he smiles at you.” Jeonghan began riffling through his clothes. “And those pants are way too big on you.” 

“What am I going to wear then?” Seungcheol whined, pulling his tie off. 

“Here, this looks cute on you.” Jeonghan pulled out a fitted navy blue sweater, holding it up to his chest. 

Seungcheol took the sweater from his hands, staring at it in front of himself in the mirror. He had to admit it did always make his chest and arms look great… 

“I still feel like I should go with a dress shirt.” Seungcheol lowed the sweater, reaching for his tie again. “This doesn’t seem nice enough.”

“Oh my god,” Jeonghan rolled his eyes, turning away back to his closet again. “You’re not going to the opera, this isn’t even a fancy place.” 

Seungcheol closed his eyes, covering his face with his hands. He’d never stressed out this much over what to wear on a date. It’d been over a year since his last date and he couldn’t even remember what he wore to that. But this was different, Joshua was a _pastor_ , he probably only owned dress shirts and dress pants himself. 

“You’re not wearing those pants are you?” Soonyoung joined them in Seungcheol’s bedroom, carrying Hyojin in with him on his back. 

“Sweetie, come help me pick out a sweater.” Jeonghan held four sweaters in his arms, studying each of them. 

“Okay!” Soonyoung lightly tossed Hyojin on the bed, running over to meet Jeonghan with a kiss on his cheek. 

“I meant Hyojin,” Jeonghan laughed, pulling Soonyoung forward by his collar and giving him a quick kiss. “He’s going to a restaurant, not a club, we don’t need your advice.” 

Soonyoung pouted as he was pushed aside by the four year old running over to join them. “At least don’t wear these pants.” He tugged at the extra material that hung off Seungcheol’s thighs. “He might be a pastor, but he’s not blind.” 

“Fine,” Seungcheol groaned, undoing his belt. “But the other black pants I own are definitely not appropriate.” 

“This one!” Hyojin pulled one of the sweaters out of Jeonghan’s arms, shoving the same blue sweater Jeonghan had handed him earlier in his arms.

“See?” Jeonghan smiled fondly down at Hyojin, leaning down to pick her up. “She has a better taste in fashion than you.” 

Seungcheol was too distracted staring at the sweater and himself in the mirror that he almost missed the pair of pants Soonyoung flung across the room at him, catching them just before they landed on his head. “I’ll wear the sweater, but those are way too tight.” Seungcheol shook his head, tossing them over onto his bed before removing his shirt. 

“What happened to you?” Jeonghan shook his head, walking back over to the bed with Hyojin in his arms. “Remember in high school when I had physically remove the scissors from your hands before you cut all the sleeves off your shirts?” 

Soonyoung threw his head back with a laugh and joined the other two on the bed, making Hyojin’s laugh as well when he started to tickle her. 

Seungcheol reached for his phone to check the time and saw that he had a half hour before he was supposed to meet Joshua. He’d spend twenty minutes just staring at his closet and he hadn’t even figured out to do with his hair yet. He quickly threw on the sweater, hesitating before grabbing the pants they’d picked out for him and sighing as he stepped into them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you can follow me @sunshinedokyeom on twitter
> 
> there's going to be one last part, thank you for reading!!


	2. Chapter 2

Jeonghan was right- the restaurant wasn’t fancy, it was almost the opposite of what he had imagined. It was a trendy, hole in the wall type of place, less of an Italian restaurant and more like a pizza joint with pasta and alcohol on the menu. There were a few other twenty-somethings in the place, but it wasn’t overly packed. 

Seungcheol found a table near the door facing a window and sat down as he waited for Joshua to arrive, pulling out his phone to text Jeonghan a quick thanks for not letting him leave his apartment in a tie. Right after he hit send Seungcheol noticed Joshua coming up the street and marvelled at the timing. He had a guitar case slung over his shoulder and his hair pushed back under a white snapback. He almost didn’t recognize him, he’d never seen him dressed so casually. 

“Hey!” Joshua smiled brightly at him as he entered the restaurant, heading towards him and leaning his guitar on the wall beside the table. “Sorry I’m late, class went a bit longer than expected. Were you waiting long?” 

“No.” Seungcheol shook his head, returning the smile. He hadn’t realized the church even had a music class. “Just got here a few minutes ago.” 

“The garlic bread and sangria are amazing here!” Joshua leaned over and grabbed two small menus from a table beside them, placing one in front of Seungcheol. “Do you want to split some?” 

“Yeah sure.” Seungcheol quickly eyed the menu. There wasn’t much to offer but it all sounded relatively good. “I think I’ll get the fettuccine alfredo as well.” 

“Alright, cool.” Joshua stood up, pushing in his chair. “I’ll be right back, I’ll go order it for us.” 

Seungcheol had been too distracted on his phone getting updates on how Hyojin’s night was going that he hadn’t noticed Joshua struggling to carry over the garlic bread, pitcher of sangria and their glasses until it was all already in front of him. “Oh shit, I’m sorry.” He quickly jumped out of his seat and leaned forward to pour both of their drinks. “I was just checking in on Hyojin.” 

“That’s alright.” Joshua smiled. “They said the rest of our meal should be done soon, they’ll bring it over.” 

Seungcheol nodded as he watched Joshua slice the garlic bread for them. “So,” he said, clearing his throat. “You were teaching a class before you got here?” 

“No.” Joshua laughed as he placed piece of bread on a plate for Seungcheol. “I’m still a student, I attend the university a couple blocks away.” 

“You’re able to go to university while working at the church?” 

“Yeah,” Joshua responded, nodding slowly. “I only work there on Sundays.” 

“Really? That doesn’t seem like much, I assumed it was more of a fulltime job.” 

Joshua opened his mouth to reply, but they were interrupted by a waiter placing their dinners in front of them. He quickly thanked them before turning back to Seungcheol and he looked amused, as if he was trying to hold back laughter. “Seungcheol, what do you think I do at the church?” 

Seungcheol felt his heart pounding in his chest. The way Joshua was looking back at him left him feeling both confused and anxious. “You’re a pastor?” He hadn’t meant his response to come out as a question. 

Joshua suddenly started choking, and he placed his fork down to cover his mouth. Seungcheol stood up immediately, wanting to check if he was alright, but Joshua waved him away. 

“Oh my god…” Seungcheol’s hands came up to slap his face when he finally caught onto what was going on. “I’m an idiot.” 

“No, it’s okay.” He didn’t have to look up to know Joshua was trying to hold back laughter. “I’m just a volunteer for the youth group. I want to be a music teacher and I thought this would look good on a resume one day.” 

“I’m such an idiot.” Seungcheol held his face in his hands, shaking his head. He was too embarrassed to look up at him again. Of course he wasn’t a pastor, there was no way he was older than Seungcheol, he looked like he was only in his mid twenties anyway. “I’m so sorry.” 

“Seungcheol.” Joshua reached out, lightly gripping Seungcheol’s wrists and pulling them away from his face. In spite of his humiliation he couldn’t help but notice how soft his hands were, save for his rough fingertips from playing guitar, and how gentle his touch was. “You don’t have to apologize, it was just a misunderstanding.” His hands stayed in place, holding Seungcheol’s wrists as he leaned over their forgotten food. 

Suddenly, before Seungcheol even realized it, he was giggling. He was giggling so hard he was sure it was drawing attention to them from other tables, but he couldn’t stop himself. When he finally looked across the table, Joshua was watching him with a big grin. “Can we start over?” Seungcheol asked as he finally started to catch his breath, calming himself down. “Just pretend this never happened.” 

“Yes.” Joshua nodded, pulling his hands back towards himself and picking up his fork as his sweet, patient grin was replaced with a smirk. “But I’m not just going to pretend this didn’t happen.” 

\--

There was a sudden shift in the mood as they reached the top of Joshua’s porch at the end of their date. The air felt heavy and Seungcheol felt like he could hardly breathe. Neither of them were moving, facing each other as they stood in front of his door, and then Joshua smiled at him, breaking the tension and Seungcheol swore he saw Joshua’s eyes twinkle under the street lights.

“Thank you for tonight.” Seungcheol’s voice was low and quiet, and as he took a step forward he ignored the way his stomach flipped as Joshua’s lips parted slightly and he straightened his posture. 

“Yeah, I had a good time,” Joshua responded quickly. Seungcheol was very aware of their close proximity and Joshua’s eyes on his lips. When his eyes dropped to Joshua’s lips, so pretty and soft just like the rest of him, he knew what was coming next. He wasn’t sure he would have been able to stop it even if he wanted to. 

Seungcheol’s heart pounded in his chest as he leaned forward, Joshua’s eyes fluttering shut as he met him halfway. He felt himself relax as their lips pressed together, gentle and slow, and his shoulders felt less heavy as Joshua rested his hands on his chest. Seungcheol moved his hands to Joshua’s hips, pulling him closer, and shivered as Joshua’s palms dragged up his chest, his fingers tickling as he lightly brushed them up his neck. They broke apart for a second, Seungcheol studying Joshua’s face while they caught their breath. He felt as if he was floating on a cloud, he was certain there would never come a time where he wasn’t completely enamoured over how pretty he was. Maybe it was because he spent too much time with a five year old, but Joshua’s features reminded him of a Disney prince. 

“You’re beautiful,” Seungcheol said, his voice barely above a whisper. 

Joshua laughed, his smile meeting his eyes as he ducked his head slightly. It was dark, but Seungcheol swore he could see a blush creeping up his neck. Seungcheol felt a surge of confidence and leaned back in to kiss him again. They were less patient and careful this time. Seungcheol’s grip tightened on his hips as Joshua’s hands moved along his chest and arms. Joshua let him take the lead, parting his lips for him, but Seungcheol still felt like he had no sense of control. It’d been awhile since he’d been with anyone, let alone kissed anyone. He felt like a teenager again, making out with his date on the front porch during the last few minutes before their curfew. 

“Do you want to come inside?” Joshua asked between kisses.

“God, I really want to,” Seungcheol groaned, breaking apart again and leaning his forehead against his. He had promised Hyojin he would be home in time to read her a story before she went to bed. “But I have to get home.” 

“What time do you have to be back?” Joshua closed the space between them once more, pecking him lightly on the lips a few more times, and with each one Seungcheol could feel his resolve crumbling. 

“I have at least a few more minutes.” 

\--

“Hey.” Seungcheol smiled brightly as he greeted Joshua with a quick kiss, pulling him through his front door. 

“How was the party?” Joshua leaned back out into the apartment hallway, bringing in a guitar wrapped in colourful wrapping paper before closing the door behind him. 

Seungcheol gasped, his mouth hanging open as he stared at the item. “I told you you didn’t have to get her anything.” 

“Is this alright? I know I should have talked to you about it before, but it’s not new or anything besides the strings.” Joshua stared down at the present in his hand, worry spreading across his face. “You mentioned a couple of weeks ago that you wanted Hyojin and I to spend more time together, so I figured I could give her guitar lessons? Ah, I’m sorry, I should have-” 

Seungcheol cut him off, cupping his face in his hands to kiss him again. “You’re perfect. It’s perfect, she’s going to love it.” 

“Okay.” Joshua let out a sigh of relief, smiling. “So how did the party go?” 

Seungcheol whined in response, wrapping his arms around Joshua and burying his face in the crook of his neck. “I don’t know how you deal with fifteen kids at a time every week.” 

Joshua laughed, pulling him in close. “Sorry I couldn’t be here to help, I tried to get out of class as quickly as possible.” 

“It’s okay.” Seungcheol relaxed as he kissed his shoulder and breathed in the smell of Joshua’s strawberry shampoo. It always had a way of calming him. “You’re here now.” 

“So you must be the pastor.” Seungcheol opened his eyes to glare at Jeonghan over Joshua’s shoulder. He had expressly warned him to be nice earlier, since he had always enjoyed intimidating anyone Seungcheol had dated over the years. 

“That’s me.” Joshua laughed, turning to smile at Seungcheol. “You must be Jeonghan, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Jeonghan hummed, seemingly pleased. Seungcheol tried not to sigh, knowing Jeonghan would never let him hear the end of it now that he knew he’d told Joshua about him. “There’s some cake and wine in the kitchen if you’re hungry.” 

Seungcheol linked his fingers with Joshua’s and led him into the living room as Jeonghan went back to the kitchen to finish cleaning up. 

Hyojin blinked slowly at them as they entered the room, waking up from her nap in the pillow fort Soonyoung and her had built. Soonyoung was still passed out beside her, lipstick and marker all over his face from the makeover he let the kids give him earlier. 

“Happy birthday, Hyojin!” Joshua greeted her, sitting down on the couch along with Seungcheol.

“Is that another present?” Hyojin jumped up, suddenly wide awake as she ran over and hopped on the couch beside them. 

Joshua laughed, placing the guitar lightly across her lap, and Hyojin wasted no time tearing into the gift. The wrapping paper flew through the air and littered the still messy floor, Hyojin letting out a squeal when she saw what was inside.

“Daddy, look!” Hyojin held it up with a big smile. The guitar was nearly bigger than her, and Seungcheol wondered if she’d even be able to play it. 

“Wow!” Seungcheol smiled back at her. “Make sure you thank Joshua.” 

“Thank you!” Hyojin practically shouted, going straight to strumming random strings. 

“You’re welcome,” Joshua laughed as she played. “Would you like me to come over sometime with my guitar and teach you some songs?” 

“Yes!” Hyojin gave him a big smile before picking the guitar up and carrying it with her to the kitchen. “Uncle Jeonghan, look!” 

“Be careful, princess!” Jeonghan laughed from the kitchen as she joined him. 

Seungcheol brought Joshua’s hand up to his face, kissing his fingers. “Thank you for coming.” 

“Of course, how could I miss Hyojin’s birthday?” Joshua nodded, staring back at him. The sincerity and adoration in Joshua’s voice made Seungcheol’s heart flutter, and he bit the inside of his cheek as he smiled at him warmly.

Seungcheol thought about kissing him again before Hyojin came running back into the room, grabbing Joshua’s other hand.

“Come see what I got today!” Hyojin pulled Joshua’s hand until he stood up with a smile. He shot Seungcheol an apologetic look, following behind her as she tugged him along.

“Hyojin, be nice!” Seungcheol laughed, watching her drag Joshua off to her room. 

“She likes him.” Jeonghan pointed out as he entered the living room, watching them turn the corner to her bedroom. 

“Yeah.” Seungcheol smiled fondly. “And he’s good with her.” 

“I do want to properly meet him, but right now I need to take my husband home.” Jeonghan knelt on the floor beside Soonyoung, running his fingers through his hair and causing him to stir. He let out a soft sigh and smiled fondly. “He really shouldn’t have wine in the afternoon, he can never make it through the rest of the day.” 

“Do you need me to carry him to the car?” Seungcheol watched in amusement as Jeonghan lightly shook his shoulders. Soonyoung’s eyes opened slowly, his brow furrowed as he tried to remember where he was.

“Nah, I got him.” Jeonghan pulled a disgruntled Soonyoung to his feet, wrapping his arms around him as he slumped against him. “Tell Hyojin we love her.” 

Seungcheol ran past them, opening the front door for them. “Of course, I’ll see you two later.” 

Soonyoung mumbled something inaudible against Jeonghan’s shoulder in return, and Seungcheol could just hear Jeonghan’s quiet laughter as he closed the door behind them. 

“Daddy!” Hyojin came running back into the living room as he sat door again, dragging Joshua by one hand while her other arm was filled with DVDs. “Joshua has never seen any of these movies!” 

Seungcheol turned to look at Joshua, and they both laughed over the exaggerated devastation in her voice. “Well why don’t you pick out your favourites and we can have a movie night?”

Sometime during the second movie Hyojin had crawled across both their laps and dozed off. Joshua soon followed, his head resting on Seungcheol’s shoulder as he fell asleep. Seungcheol tried to stay awake as long as he could. It had been a long time since he had felt this happy and secure, with two people that meant the world to him snuggled up with him and keeping him warm, and he wanted to savour the moment as long as he possibly could. But he soon enough he was out as well, his head lolling against the top of Joshua’s head before the credits started rolling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i really hadn't intended a two month wait before i updated, but it's finally here & DONE. thank you so much if you read this fic!! it's the longest fic i've ever written, even though it may not seem like much
> 
> shout out again to ao3 user soonhan for editing this & for helping me stay motivated to finish this fic because it definitely would have stayed incomplete forever without your help
> 
> comments and kudos are greatly appreciated & always make my day!


End file.
